Swing Life Away
by unlikelyRLshipper
Summary: D/L. Post-Ep for 6.09. The Compass Killer brings up some things that Lindsay and Danny need to talk about.


**Since it's been a while since I last posted, I figured that rather than waiting before posting another piece, I would just post it. You've all been good this year, especially to me, so you definitely deserve it!!!**

**This one takes place after the end of 6.09 (you know, after that awesome little team dinner that was so cute!!) The title was totally borrowed from the Rise Against song of the same name, because the song popped into my head when I had finished writing it, and it just seemed to fit.**

**Nothing belongs to me but any mistakes.**

**Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy!!!!!!!**

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**Swing Life Away**

As the team said their goodbyes and headed their separate ways after the celebratory dinner for catching the Compass Killer, Danny and Lindsay Messer decided to take a short walk before heading home to relieve the babysitter. The walk had been Danny's idea, though Lindsay didn't think it would be a good idea given that he had spent the entire meal with a bag full of ice behind his back, but she decided not to push him. The truth was, Lindsay really needed to talk with Danny, and this was a conversation best had while they were alone.

Walking arm in arm through the streets, she decided to gently ease her way into the conversation.

"Is your back feeling any better from the ice?"

"Yeah, that and just getting to sit and relax for an uninterrupted amount of time was good for my back. But something tells me that you really want to talk about something else, because you've been asking me about my back all night, and I've already given you that answer."

"No, why would you think that?" Lindsay tried to deflect, but she knew that he had her. The look he gave her in response told her that he wasn't buying any of it.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Lindsay conceded. "Alright, alright, I admit that it was pretty transparent. I just thought that it would be best to ease into this conversation rather than jump right into it."

Danny suspected that he knew where this was going, but she had to say it in her own time. He noticed that they were just about to walk by a small playground, so Danny turned them into the playground and led them both to a nearby bench. Sitting down together, Danny turned to her and waited. Lindsay focused on her hands in her lap and spoke.

"This case brought some stuff back up for me, things that I've been trying to avoid for a while now. What Hollis Eckhart did was wrong, no question, but I understand it, you know? His wife's murder not only shattered his mind, but it completely broke his heart. What he has gone through, is going through, it was like a glimpse of what I could have gone through.

"When you said that you couldn't feel your legs, it didn't seem real – and then your hand came up, covered in blood. I was trying to stay calm for you, but on the inside, I felt my heart shattering. I was terrified that you were going to die and leave me to raise our daughter all by myself. Then that feeling was met by another, a burning rage targeted at the bastards who had shot at us. In all honesty, if you hadn't made it I'm not sure that I wouldn't have become just like Eckhart."

Danny knew full well that Lindsay had a hard time sharing her emotions, and to hear her admit what she had gone through after he got shot took his breath away. Wiping away at the tears caused by what could have been while Lindsay did the same, Danny reached for one of her hands and squeezed it, causing Lindsay to finally look over at him.

"I don't' think you would've turned into Eckhart if I died Lindsay. Not only do I know that you're not that type of person, but there's one key difference between you and him: he was all alone in this world after his wife was killed, but you have your entire family back in Montana, our second family at the crime lab here, and most importantly, you have Lucy, our beautiful daughter, and I know you would never do anything that would potentially leave her without either of us. Everybody would've stopped you before you were too far gone, and you know it."

Once again, Lindsay conceded, but this time very reluctantly. "I guess you're right, but…"

Danny quickly cut her off. "There's no 'guess' to it. If something were to ever happen to me, you'd survive."

Sudden tears pricked up in Lindsay's eyes, and her next sentence had a sharper edge to it. "You make it sound so simple, like I'd just move on like nothing happened."

"That's not it at all, and you know that – we both do. Linds, you're one of the strongest people I know and I'm certain that in time, you'd find a way to keep going. That doesn't mean that it would be easy though. If something were to ever happen to you, I know I'd be a wreck for a long time, but I'd make it work for Lucy. She'd be my link to you, I wouldn't let her down because that would be letting you down, and I've already done that enough to last a lifetime."

Ignoring his final comment, she pressed on. "OK, I'm still not completely convinced, but how about we both promise that if something were to ever happen to one of us, the other would try to carry on living, no matter how hard it seemed at times?" Lindsay really didn't want to keep talking about this, but they both needed some kind of closure on the subject.

"I promise to try to go on living," Danny said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"And I promise to try and go on living as well," Lindsay affirmed back to her husband, her voice having lost its power as well.

Without another word from either of them, Danny leaned forward to envelop Lindsay in a hug, one hand coming up to wipe her tears away while one of Lindsay's hands cupped Danny's cheek and did the same for the tears that stained his face. They leaned into one another and their lips met in a slow, passionate kiss.

Pulling away from one another, they both said "I love you" at the same time, causing slow smiles to creep up on both their faces. Feeling a little less burdened, Lindsay suggested that they finally head home to Lucy.

Danny nodded and stood up with her, but something in the playground caught his attention and gave him an idea. Instead of taking her out of the playground, he led her over to the swings and held one for her to sit down on. Not completely sure what was going on, Lindsay sat down and glanced over at Danny, who sat down on another swing beside her.

"When I was a kid, before I got good at baseball, the swings used to be my escape. I'd be flying through the air and all the stuff that had been bothering me would just seem to float away."

Lindsay looked over at her husband and reached for his hand. Knowing that nothing more needed to be said, he took it and together, Danny and Lindsay started to swing.

And just like Danny had said, all their troubles seemed to float away with each subsequent swing.

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**Thanks for reading!!!**


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